As has been written many times, the phenomenon that is the John Wick series almost didn’t happen. The film was originally slated as a direct-to-video release, it was helmed by two first-time feature directors (Chad Stahelski and David Leitch), had… Read More ›
Everyone says that they want original stories to watch at the movies, but what they really mean is that they want good stories, engaging stories, stories that they can’t stop talking about or thinking about when they leave the theater…. Read More ›
Photosensitivity Warning: There are several party sequences and instances involving the press wherein lights either flash or strobe. Be advised. Everyone has a favorite type of story. For some, it’s romances; others, comedies; and, others still, horror. In my top… Read More ›
The Unholy Trinity (2024) is a film that, at first glance, seems tailor-made for fans longing for a return to the gritty, dust-caked charm of old-school westerns. With its barren landscapes, tense shootouts, and a score that leans into the… Read More ›
Film scholar Joseph Fahim describes director Youssef Chahine’s 1958 crime thriller Cairo Station (باب الحديد) as a film that failed to connect with audiences and was viewed as a failure upon its initial release. He also states that the film… Read More ›
What would you do for love? Would you fight? Would you protect? What would you build? What would you sacrifice? Polish filmmaker Grzegorz Królikiewicz (The Dancing Hawk), having previously made a series of short films, released his feature debut, Through… Read More ›
Every Heavy Thing is the gonzo movie of the year — a chaotic, brain-bending descent into madness that feels like a dream you half-remember after waking up, unsure if it was brilliant or just bizarre. Director Mickey Reece (Agnes), known… Read More ›
For audiences of a certain age, no one merges situational and absurdist comedy with pop culture references quite like ZAZ (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker), the brains behind cinematic comedies Airplane! (1980), Top Secret! (1984), and The Naked… Read More ›
Upon its release in 2022, The Bad Guys proved to be a surprising smash hit. The reviews were quite positive, with praise on all accounts. This included the screenplay, voice performances, and very entertaining action. Add in a gross of… Read More ›
Sometimes movies fly under the radar for viewers, and some of those movies get branded as favorites or classics. When one of those movies has escaped my viewing experience one way or another and the 4K gets announced, my curiosity… Read More ›
If someone is asked to identify their favorite war-related films, most likely they’ll name American-made films, not because they’re inherently better but because they are often more prolific. The truth is that war is one of the few concepts that… Read More ›
It only takes one person’s moment of greed to poison the lives of countless others. This isn’t to suggest that individuals aren’t in control of their choices, but, if one ascribes to Chaos Theory, there’s a strong inclination that our… Read More ›
Have you seen Justin Kurzel’s highly under the radar crime thriller, The Order (2024)? Did you see it and immediately think to yourself that you wanted to see more of this? If you haven’t, have you seen some of Dick… Read More ›
If you’ve never seen F. Gary Gray’s Law Abiding Citizen, then stop reading this right now, go find a copy (this new snazzy steelbook is now available), and sit down and watch it (preferably the unrated cut as it has… Read More ›
Before filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie accepted the mission four times (Mission: Impossible franchise) and before he adapted Lee Child’s nomadic former MP for the big screen (Jack Reacher (2012)), he started out with his own creation, the neo-western The Way of… Read More ›
Given the opportunity to work with strangers or friends, chances are “friends” is going to win out every time. Doing so provides a comfortability to do things one might not ordinarily do, or, at the very least, allow one to… Read More ›
There is something inherently interesting and thought-provoking from Charles Williams’s first time feature, Inside (not to be confused with the Willem Dafoe movie from a few years back), but the longform execution of this seems to be where it slightly… Read More ›
Trigger Warning: The following review touches on topics directly related to the narrative involving death, terrorism, and sexual assault. The summer of 2001 was the perfect time for the release of Swordfish. Audiences had been primed for it thanks to… Read More ›
How many successful action franchises do we have now? That’s a more complicated question to answer than one may think. That is, especially after the surprise 2014 revelation of a film that was John Wick. Besides revitalizing Keanu Reeves’s career,… Read More ›
The Alto Knights features a dual performance from the legendary Robert De Niro (The Irishman) who portrays both of the main characters in a bold creative choice that might serve as a selling point for fans or as a distraction… Read More ›